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| Formal President Olusegun |
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| President Goodluck Jonathan,Man of the People |
The Presidency has taken its case against ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
It asked the commission to investigate the allegation of keeping over
1,000 people on a political watch list and training snipers.
Jonathan made the demand in a letter to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Prof Bem Angwe.
A source in the commission, who confirmed the receipt of the December
23, 2013 letter, said Obasanjo may be invited for interaction on his
allegation.
The Presidency asked the NHRC to “investigate the allegations
bothering on the human rights violations contained on pages 9-10 of the
letter dated 2nd December 2013, written by former President Olusegun
Obasanjo (GCFR) to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GCFR) attached to
the memorandum under reference.
“In order to properly delineate the issues within your sphere of
competence, particularly as other issues raised in the letter are being
investigated by appropriate agencies of government.”
The letter cited two offensive paragraphs in Obasanjo’s letter for investigation by the NHRC.
The paragraphs are:
“Allegation of keeping over 1,000 people on political watch list
rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and
other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to
match for political purposes like Abacha, and training them where Abacha
trained his own killers, if it is true, cannot augur well for the
initiator, the government and the people of Nigeria. Here again, there
is the lesson of history to learn from for anybody who cares to learn
from history. Mr. President would always remember that he was elected to
maintain security for all Nigerians and protect them. And no one should
prepare to kill or maim Nigerians for personal or political ambition or
interest of anyone. The Yoruba adage says, ‘The man with whose head the
coconut is broken may not live to savour the taste of the succulent
fruit’. Those who advise you to go hard on those who oppose you are your
worst enemies.
Democratic politics admits and is permissive of
supporters and opponents. When the consequences come, those who have
wrongly advised you will not be there to help carry the can. Egypt must
teach some lesson.
“Presidential assistance for a murderer to evade justice and
presidential delegation to welcome him home can only be in bad taste
generally, but particularly to the family of his victim. Assisting
criminals to evade justice cannot be part of the job of the Presidency.
Or, as it is viewed in some quarters, is he being recruited to do for
you what he had done for Abacha in the past? Hopefully, he should have
learned his lesson. Let us continue to watch.”
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice,
Mohammed Adoke (SAN) in a memo to the Executive Secretary, National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Bem Angwe, dated, December 23
to which he attached a copy of Obasanjo’s letter, directed Angwe to
investigate allegations relating to human rights violations.
Specifically, Adoke requested Angwe to investigate allegations
bothering on the human rights violations contained in pages 9 and 10 of
the letter by ex-President Obasanjo.
The memo marked: HAGF/NHRC2013/Vol2/5, titled: “Re: Before it is to
late,” a copy of which The Nation sighted yesterday, reads: “May I draw
your attention to the above and the attached State House Memorandum
dated December 23rd 2013 in respect of the above subject matter.
“I am to request you to investigate the allegations bothering on the
human rights violations contained on pages 9-10 of the latter dated
December 2, 2013, written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR to
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR attached to the memorandum
under reference.
“In order to properly delineate the issues within your sphere of
competence particularly as other issues raised in the letter are being
investigated by appropriate agencies of government, I have decided to
reproduce the relevant paragraphs below,” Adoke said.
A source in the NHRC said: “We have received the letter and a
memorandum attached to it. With the issues raised in the letter, we may
invite ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for interaction.
“The question of being on political watch list raises some human
rights issues. What I can assure you of is that we will be fair to all
sides.”
Responding to a question, the source said the demand of the Presidency was within the mandate of the NHRC.
He cited Section 5(b) of the 2010 (Amendment Act) of the commission.
The section reads in part: The Commission shall- (a) deal with all
matters relating to the protection of human rights as guaranteed by the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the United Nations Charter and the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other International Treaties
on human rights to which Nigeria is a signatory;
“(b) monitor and investigate all alleged cases of human rights
violation in Nigeria and make appropriate recommendation to the
President for the prosecution and such other actions as it may deem
expedient in each circumstance;
“(c) assist victims of human rights violation and seek appropriate redress and remedies on their behalf…”
